Rotary engine.



A. MCDONALD.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION TILED NOV. 1a, 1908.

Patented June 15,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

r. 0 t n e V n I witnesses Rtmmcga ALEXANDER MCDONALD, OF DETROIT,MICHIGAN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented June 15, 1909.

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Application filed November 13, 1908. SerialNo. 462,358.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MCDON- ALD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne, State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines, and consists in theconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully set forthand claimed.

The object of the invention is to produce a rotary engine of thecharacter described wherein two concentric, parallel disks havingbuckets in their adjacent faces are caused by the introduction of thepropulsive agent to revolve in opposite directions through the impactand expansive force of said agent, the arrangement being such that therotary motion of said disks in opposite directions is transmitted to asingle shaft to drive said shaft continuously in one direction. Afurther arrangement provides for the introduction of the propulsiveagent through a hollow shaft and through radial passages in one of saiddisks, and the escape of said agent after its force has been expendedthrough other radial channels in the same disk and through a secondhollow shaft to the exterior air. A still further arrangement providesfor suitable packing between the rotary disks to prevent the escape ofthe propulsive agent, and also affords suitable bearings between saiddisks to obviate undue friction. The above object is attained by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isan elevation of a rotary engine involving my invention. Fig. 2 is adiametrical section as on line 22 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a transversesection as on line 83 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view indianwtrical section as on line 44L of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlargedfragmentary view partly in section and partly in side elevation, of aportion of said disks illustrating the construction and association ofthe parts.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates the inner of therotary disks having a shaft Q'projectin'g from one face thereof uponwhich a pulley, gear, or crank may be mounted for the purpose oftransmitting motion therefrom. Projecting from the opposite face of saiddisk is a hollow shaft 3 the opening 4 through which c0ntinuestransversely of the disk 1 forming a central aperture 7 thereinconcentric with its axis of oscillation and communicating with saidhollow shaft. Embracing the shaft 3 is a suitable bearing 5 supported bythe frame, and embracing the shaft 2 is a similar bearing 6, alsosupported by the frame.

Formed in the periphery of the disk 1 are the buckets 8 having a wall 9in the plane of the diameter of the disk, and a wall 10 nearly'at rightangles thereto leading from the base of the wall 9 to the periphery ofthe disk. The hollowshaft and the communieating cent a1 aperture 7afford a steam induct pipe t rough which steam or other propulsive agentis supplied to the engine. Formed diametrically of the disk 1 andleading from said central aperture 7 are the steam passages 11, theouter ends of said passages communicating with the buckets 8 through thewalls 9 thereof.

Embracing the periphery of the disk 1 is an outer disk or ring 12provided in the inner face thereof with the buckets l3 having adiametrical wall 14 and an inclined wall 15, said diametrical wall beingopposed to the wall 9 of the buckets 8, thereby causing the buckets inthe respective disks to face in opposite directions. To associate saiddisks in operative relation so as to permit of the rotation thereof inopposite directions without undue friction, their opposite margins areprovided with the circular ball races 16 and 17 respectively which aresecurely bolted to the vertical sides of said disks and between whichare confined the bearing balls 18.

Upon the end of the hollow shaft 3 is a coupling 19 connected thereto bya union 20 which permits of the rotation of said shaft without turningsaid coupling. Communicating with said. coupling is a supply pipe 21through which steam or other expansive fluid under pressure may beconveyed to the hollow shaft of the engine. Passing centrally throughsaid coupling and hollow shaft is an exhaust pipe 22, a stuffing box 23in p ovid aro nd-s riv vherei passes through the end of said coupling.The inner end of the exhaust pipe 22 communicates with the tubes orpassages 24:, shown by dotted lines in the drawings, which passdiametrically through the body of the disk 1 to the periphery thereof,forming exhaust ports through which the propulsive agent may escape intothe exhaust pipe 22 after expending its force in the driving of theengine. The, outer end. of said exhaust pipe may be made to communicatewith the exterior air, or with a condenser, as desired. It will nowbe-understood that the entrance of steam or other fluid under pressureinto the buckets 8 throughthe passages 11 will act upon the walls 9 ofthe buckets 8 in the disk 1, and upon the walls 1a of the buckets 13 inthe disk 12 to turn said disks in opposite directions.

To transmit the rotary movement from said disks to the,shaft 2 so as toturn said shaft continuously, in one direction, there is secured to thevertical face of the disk 12 a ring 25 having internal gear teeth, andto the verticalf ace ofthe disk 1 a ring 26having external gear teeth.Meshing with these gear rings is an idle pinion 27 which is journaled ina bracket 28 mounted on across bar 31 of the frame. By this arrangement,the disks are geared together and their rotary motion in'oppositedirections is equalized and caused to effect a continuous rotation ofthe shaft 2-in one direction.

i It will be noted that as the disks revolve through the action ofthepropulsive agent and the relative rotation thereof carries thebuckets of the disk 12 past the point of communication with the bucketsof thedisk 1, so that the expansive force of the propulsive agent is nolonger available, the buckets of the disk 12 in which the propellingagent is confined will then be caused to communicate successively withthe exhaust ports th'rou'ghwhich the propulsive agent from which theenergy has been expended may escape out the exhaust pipe 22.

To obviate the passage of the steam or propulsive agent between thebuckets 13 of the disk 12 without performing its work, there areprovided transverse steam packing strips 29 which are let into the baseof the inclined walls 15 of the buckets 13 and have peripheral contactwith the disk 1 between the buckets 8', the ends of said packing stripscrossing the buckets transversely and bearing, at their terminals uponthe periphcry of the disk-1 on each side of saidbuckets.

To obviate the lateral escape of the steam or propulsive agent frombetween the working face bf the disks, there are employed circularpacking rings 30, shown more clearly in Fig. L, which are let intochannels in the innercfaceof the disk 12 at the ends ofthe packingstrips 29, andhave engagement with the peripheral margins of the disk 1on opposite sides of the buckets therein, )reventing the passage ofthepropulsive agent from between the working faces of said disks.

. rHaving thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rotary engine, the combination of the concentric disksadaptedfor rotation in opposite directions having buckets in their contiguousfa'ces,,means. for admitting a propulsive agent into said buckets, meansfor permitting the escape of said propulsive agent, a shaft with whichone ofsaid disks is connected, a gear ring carried by each of saiddisks, and a. pinion connecting said gear rings whereby the oppositerotary motion of the disks is transmitted to said shaft to turn itcontinuously in one direction.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of theconcentric disks havingbuckets in their contiguous faces, means for rotatively associating saiddisks to permit them to turn in opposite directions,the inner diskhaving a central opening and a hollow shaft communicating. therewith,there being passages within the inner disk leading from said centralopening to the buckets of said disk, an exhaust pipe passing throughsaid hollow shaft and central opening, there being exhaust ports. withinthe central disk extending from the periphery thereof and communicatingwith said exhaust pipe, a shaft connected with one of said disks, andmeans for transmitting the opposite rotary movement of the disks to saidshaft to turn it continuously in one direction.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of the concentric disks havingbuckets, in their contiguous faces, means for introducing a propulsiveagent to the-buckets of said disks,

means for permitting the escape of said propulsive agent, a shaftconnected with the central disk, a ringupon the outer disk hav inginternal gear teeth, a ring upon the central disk having external gearteeth, and a pinion mounted upon a fixed support and propulsive agent tosaid buckets, means for motion of said disks to said shaft to turn it 10permitting the escape of said propulsive continuously in one direction.

agent, transverse packing strips between the In testimony whereof, Isign this specibuckets of the outer disk having contact fication in thepresence of two Witnesses.

with the periphery of the lnner disk, circu- ALEXANDER MCDONALD larpacklng rings interposed between the peripheries of said disks at theterminals of Vitnesses:

said transverse packing strips, a shaft, and I. G. HOWLETT, means fortransmitting the opposite rotary l O. B. BAENZIGER.

